Until You Came
by Z-bond
Summary: Ryoma x Ann, After winning against Yukimura in the National Tournament Finals, Ryoma decides to go to America to become a pro but he also has to face new emotions that has surfaced...
1. Senses Gone

**I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters. There maybe some details I have added on of my own creation.**

**This story starts from the match between Ryoma and Yukimura **

**Echizen Ryoma x Tachibana Ann**

**Chapter 1: Senses gone **

Echizen Ryoma walked into the stadium; loud noises of people cheering could be heard from all directions. His eyes narrowed as he saw the scoreboard, it was tied at two against two, which meant that the chance

that Seigaku becoming national champion rested on his shoulders. Ryoma smiled as he neared his Seigaku teammates, "Gomen-nasai everyone" Ryoma murmured as he pulled his cap down to cover his eyes. "You gave

us quite a scare Ryoma-kun" The vice captain, Oishi Shuichiro said gently. "Yeah ochibi" The cat like Eiji Kikumaru added but added with a big grin,

"but you're fine now right." Ryoma nodded, "Echizen" a strict voice

greeted him, Ryoma turned and saw his mentor and rival, Seigaku's captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu,

"Put everything you have learned this year into use" Tezuka simply said. "Hai" Ryoma replied and begin the way down to the

tennis court and his opponent, Rikkai's 'Child of God', Yukimura Seiichi, who was sitting comfortably on the bench with his Rikkai team jacket draped over his shoulder.

As Ryoma drew nearer to the tennis court, he saw the gazes from the players of Fudomine Middle School, St. Rudolph, Yamabuki Middle School, Hyotei Academy, Shitenhoji

Middle School and Rokkaku Middle School coming at him. As he was at the entrance to the tennis court, a voice called out to him, "Ryoma-kun!", Ryoma turned around and running towards him

was a girl with short reddish brown hair, creamy white skin and "Oh hello Tachibana-san, I'm in a bit of a hurry right now…" Ryoma said boringly.

But Ann just flashed him a glare, causing him to twitch uncomfortably, "He still looks so cute when he feels uncomfortable." She thought to herself.

"Just be careful Ryoma-kun" Ann whispered softly, she had heard the rumors that people who have played Yukimura experience strange and horrific changes.

Ryoma blinked and did something that he would never ever do before; he grabbed Ann's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Ann felt as if she had been zapped by lightening and was shocked to find Ryoma actually smiling at her.

"What in the world am I doing?" Ryoma thought to himself, it wasn't really like him to smile and comfort other people. However he shrugged those thoughts away and said confidently,

"Mada mada dane." Ann, after swiftly recovering from being 'electrocuted', giggled; she loved it whenever Ryoma said it.

"Wow, I never expected Ann giggling could be so cute. WAIT WHAT?" Ryoma thought, his mind screaming one word: CONFUSION.

He noticed that he was still holding Ann's hand and quickly let go, his cheeks fuming. "Okay, see you in a bit." Ryoma stammered, taking one last look at the reddish brown haired girl and walked into the court.

From not far away, a mummy with thick lens glasses was scribbling rapid notes onto a notebook, the data master, Inui Sadaharu had seen everything that happen and begin adding notes under the name Echizen Ryoma.

"Seventy two percent that Ryoma-kun is attracted to Tachibana-san." Inui muttered silently but not silently enough as a light brown colored haired boy with closed eyes laughed softly next to him.

"I think more than that." Fuji Shusuke said quietly with a chuckle so only Inui could hear.

Ann returned next to her brother, still worried about Ryoma, she only hoped that the rumors were false and that nothing bad would happen to him.

"He'll do fine, Ann-chan" Tachibanna Kippei said, placing a hand on his small sister's shoulder. Ann only nodded as she watched and prayed silently.

Ryoma watched as the referee signaled that he would serve first, he couldn't help but remark to the Rikkai captain as they shook hands.

"You just recovered from an injury right…" However the Rikkai captain's face remained passive and said smoothly, "You have a good eye expression." Ryoma simply scoffed, "That wasn't an answer."

However the 'Child of God' was already walking away. Ryoma smiled and muttered to himself, "Oh, well…" The other Rikkai players snickered, the first year was underestimating Yukimura, a big mistake they all thought.

Ryoma bounced the ball several times and looked up, "Here I go, Mr. 'Child of God'", and smashed his twist serve, the ball flew to Yukimura's side of the court, bounced once on the floor and suddenly flew towards

Yukimura's face. Yukimura jumped and smashed it back, Ryoma grinned and decided to use Drive A but once again, Yukimura hit it back with ease.

Ryoma then used his Cool Drive but Yukimura again countered it and it was 0-15, Yukimura leading. Ryoma grinned and said, "Hmm, not bad, but…" he pointed and Yukimura turned and saw his jacket on the floor.

"Your jacket flew off." Ryoma finished. Yukimura still remained emotionless as he turned to face Ryoma, then he picked up his Rikkai jacket and threw it at teammates who caught it.

"Boya, this isn't a game where you attempt to make the jacket of the opposition to fly off." Yukimura scowled. "If it is, I already won." Ryoma retorted.

Yukimura said nothing but he watched suddenly, mist began to form around Seigaku's first year, "You still have, lots more to work on." Ryoma said,

"Ah, Muga No Kyochi (State of Self Actualization)" Yukimura thought to himself. Ryoma smiled and started with the 'Big Bang' that was used by Tanishi Kei of Higa Middle School, "Powerful serve, but foolish" Yukimura said

calmly as he smashed it back with no effort at all.

Ryoma scowled and hit back, up on the stands, Ann rubbed her eyes, it seemed that there were many tennis balls flying at Yukimura and gasped and turned to her brother, "Ni-san, isn't that your Wild Ball" she asked.

Kippei nodded but to Ann's surprise, Yukimura again with no effort whatsoever returned the shot, smirking as he did so, "There is only one ball." He remarked.

Ryoma was beginning to panicked, he smashed the ball back to the Rikkai Captain and watched become invisible, "Senri's Divine Disappearance" Kippei remarked to her sister.

However, Yukimura smiled mysteriously and hit the 'invisible ball' out of thin air and back to Ryoma.

Ryoma felt mentally intimidated, "Whatever shot I use against him, he can return it."

He shrugged it off as Yukimura called out to him, "When are you going to stop, Muga No Kyochi will only sap your stamina." Ryoma grinned and replied, "Humph, how realistic you are."

Ryoma gripped his racket tightly and slashed the on coming ball as if he were a samurai. The ball landed on Yukimura's side of the court and he didn't return it. "15 all" the referee called, The Rikkai members all flinched,

"Isn't that Sanada's Rai?" they asked among themselves and looked at their vice captain.

Yukimura said nothing as he stared at Sanada, "As I've said before, We Rikkai will win fairly." He said to Yukimura. Yukimura gave him a look of disgust and thought, "That is something only a child would think."

He turned to Ryoma just in time to see that he was going to use Rai again, "Foolish" Yukimura said as he smashed it back, Ryoma was shocked, he was running out of tricks and gritted his teeth as he tried to hit back with

'The World of Ice' from Atobe Keigo, Hyotei's captain.

However he found Yukimura calm, as ever, "I don't have any dead corners." And with that Yukimura smashed the ball back to a corner, Ryoma tried to hit it but the ball was out of his reach as he fell to the ground.

"Ryoma-kun!" Ann called out, she felt his pain and wanted to go nearer to him.

Kippei was stunned, it was the first time that he had ever seen his sister act this way, he tighten his grip on her shoulder and shook his head as Ann turned around to face him,

"Let him be…" Kippei said, "But…" Ann replied but as soon as she looked back onto the court, Ryoma was back on his feet and he was surrounded by white aura, Ann gasped and thought, "This must be Hyakuren Jitoku no

Kiwami (Pinnacle of Hard Work)."

Yukimura smiled and was impressed, "This first year has potential, I'll give him that, to have open Muga no Kyochi and Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami in his first year... but pity it has no effect on me."

Ryoma served and Yukimura still returned the ball with ease and scored.

"Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami can focus all a person's energy into a specific part of their body but the rest of their body will become sluggish." Yukimura stated simply as he scored point after point and soon game after

game, Ryoma struggled to keep up and he hit the ground again after failing to react fast enough to Yukimura's onslaught.

"Three games to zero." The referee called out, Ryoma was on one knee, panting. Yukimura looked at him and merely asked, "You done already?", Ryoma gripped his racquet tightly and simply growled as he stood up,

Ryoma served and Yukimura hit back effortlessly to the opposite corner, confident that the first year wouldn't be able to hit back but watched in amazement as the white aura went from Ryoma's left arm to his legs,

Ryoma sprinted and switched the aura to his right before hitting the ball and thought, "Finally." Yukimura gritted his teeth and hit back and was shocked to find that Ryoma had already been sliding towards the net, and with a yell, smashed a Drive A pass him. "15-0" The referee called out, the Seigaku students and Ann were cheering.

"That Boya..." Yukimura scowled and got further annoyed when Ryoma activated Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami (Pinnacle of Great Wisdom), "Next point will be mine in six shots" Ryoma predicted as the white aura glowed

even brighter, back on the stands Ann was nervous as she clasped her hands together, she silently counted down"6…..5…..4…..3….2…..1" but she found herself shocked,

Ryoma shot the ball up to the stands and fell down. Everyone in the stands were shocked,

The Seigaku regulars were all shouting words of concern as Ryoma pulled himself up, his nose was bleeding and his jersey was beginning to redden as the blood continued to flow downwards. And it wasn't until the Seigaku regulars told him that he was nose bleeding did he realize. "I didn't even feel it." Ryoma said as he looked at the blood on his fingers. The referee went over to him,

"Are you okay, Echizen-kun", "I'm fine, please continue." Ryoma said. He turned to Yukimura, who was staring intently at him,

"What, its not your fault…" Ryoma said. "It seems that, you're losing your senses." Yukimura said and walked back to his court.

Up in the stands, Ann felt in her gut that something bad was going happen. She looked at her brother who had fear written all on his face as he muttered, "This is not good, not good.."

An silently prayed "Ryoma-kun, please be okay for me, please let nothing bad happen to you." Ryoma steadied himself as Yukimura served towards him, after each shot he returned, the feeling got worse, he returned

another shot back but found that he couldn't feel the ball hitting his racquet.

"The ball…" Ryoma thought to himself. Suddenly a new feeling emerged, as he returned each shot, an image of Yukimura returning the shot was played into his mind,

Ryoma tried to shrug it off but it kept on coming, he then became afraid of making eye contact with him, "What's the matter, Boya" Yukimura asked,

"You won't be able to defeat me playing like that." Ryoma shouted, "SHUT UP!" and returned the shot but gasped when he felt the world around go black.

"Where am I?" Ryoma thought to himself, "Why is everything black?" but then he heard the ball coming towards him and managed to hit back.

Ann looked at Ryoma and managed a glance at his beautiful hazel eyes and saw that they had no focus point and brought her hands over her mouth as she realized that Yukimura had taken away his sense of touch and

his sight. Ryoma panicked but reassure himself "As long as I still can hear."

But then he felt the sound of the ball disappearing. Ryoma then felt nothing, he could no longer see, hear nor feel. Ryoma didn't know where he was, he was all alone in nothingness. Yukimura smiled, "This is my way of winning."


	2. The Comeback

**Chapter 2: The Comeback**

Yukimura served and smash the ball into Ryoma's face. Ryoma fell down and hit the ground, "I know you can't hear me, but you lost." Yukimura said softly and turned away.

Ann was trembling as tears came down her face, she couldn't imagine the pain Ryoma was going through as he laid on the floor, battered from head to toe.

She wanted to go down to the court right that moment and help him. "RYOMA!" She screamed out and

broke her brother's grasp and went to the front stand, "Ryoma, get up, get up." In another 'dimension' Ryoma felt nothing but pain, he heard Yukimura voice "You lost." Ryoma said to himself, "I've lost? No I don't want

to lose." Then he heard and saw his father, Echizen Nanjiro, "Is playing tennis…fun?" He was startled to see a younger version of himself playing against his father

**Flashback**

_There were tennis balls all over the court, all of them in young Ryoma's side. "Over already Ryoma-kun?" His father asked with a smirk,_

_young Ryoma pulled his cap from the ground and shouted, "Mada Mada" young _

_Ryoma shouted happily, Nanjiro smiled and said, "What a stubborn boy." _

_The young Ryoma smiled and Ryoma saw his younger self, run pass him. Ryoma then heard his father again, "Look into yourself."_

"Tennis…" Ryoma said softly and began dragging himself up. Yukimura snapped around and gasped to his terror as the first year was back on his feet, the ball in his hand,

"Right, tennis is…", Yukimura was shocked, it was impossible, he said with shock in his voice

"Why, he can't hear or see anymore, this can't be, under these circumstances, any normal person would be unwilling to continue playing but this Boya…"

Ryoma simply tightened his hold on the ball, "I can never hate tennis because…" as he remembered the happy times he played against his father.

That led to other memories, the faces of his fellow Seigaku teammates, his opponents but the last that came were the most powerful. He saw Ann's smiling face and remembered that match he had with her.

**Flashback**

"_Match point" Ryoma called out. "Yup" Ann replied and Ryoma served, the score was 5-2, "This is fun, ne?" _

_Ann asked as she returned his shot. Ryoma smiled, this was how tennis should be play he thought, he never felt _

_so comfortable and relaxed. Ryoma shouted as he hit the ball back, "Thanks, Tachibana-san. For letting me understand..."_

_Again, he heard his father ask, "Oi Ryoma, is playing tennis fun?_

"Playing tennis is fun." Ryoma said with a smile and then he was surrounded by green light,

It was so bright that it lightened up the whole stadium. Ann covered her eyes, when the light disappeared, she saw Ryoma's hair had turn green and it was spiking upwards,

"Oh my, Ryoma is so handsome…NO, I DID NOT JUST THINK THAT" Ann thought to herself. Kippei was shocked,

"Ryoma-kun, he's done it…" Ann turned and asked her brother, who had came down also to the front stands "What did Ryoma do?"

Kippei looked at his sister and replied with a smile, "Ryoma has activated the final door of Muga no Kyochi, Ten'i Muho No Kiwami."

Meanwhile Yukimura was shocked, "Ten'i Muho, I'll see through it." He said to himself as Ryoma threw the ball up, and before he could finish his sentence,

the ball had disappeared and had already landed in his court.

The referee was shocked, it was too fast and asked the camera crew if it went in, the recording revealed that it had.

"15 all" and the crowd went wild. Yukimura as stunned, "What happened…" Up on the stands, Ann joined them and cheered Ryoma on with tears of happiness in her eyes.

To her amazement, Ann watched as Ryoma served ace after ace and before she knew it, the score went to 4 games all.

The crowd's cheering reached its climax as the voices became louder and louder, Yukimura could only stare in disbelief as his confidence slowly disappear,

"Tennis is fun, is it not?" Ryoma asked with a happy smile on his face. Yukimura returned each shot with tears in his eyes,

"Who said to enjoy tennis, tennis is suppose to be played with absolute seriousness and losing is not allowed" Yukimura yelled as he lobbed the ball high.

Ryoma continued to smile and smashed the ball to the line of the net and Yukimura's widened in shock as the ball split into two and flew in two different directions.

In one last act of desperation, Yukimura managed to hit the two halves of the ball back but knew it was over when he saw that Ryoma was already positioned to make the final blow,

at that moment, Yukimura knew what Ryoma was trying to tell him as Ryoma smashed the two halves of the ball down onto his court. "Match over, Winner, Echizen Ryoma, 6 games to 4."

Ryoma felt relief and suddenly he felt the arms of his teammates strangling him, "You know how worried we were?" Kikumaru said,

"Gomen" Ryoma smirked and winced as Momoshiro gave him a knuckle sandwich.

Ryoma then shrugged his team away and approached Yukimura and offered the 'Child of God' his hand, Yukimura smiled and took it,

"Congratulations, Ryoma-kun…. If we have another chance to play each other again next time, lets play a happy game of tennis." Yukimura said with a smile,

"It will be my pleasure." Ryoma replied. Ryoma then saw Ann at the edge of his eyes and said,

"Excuse me, Yukimura-san, and give me a call whenever you want a game." Yukimura smiled and nodded and watched the tennis prodigy walk off.

Ann watched as Ryoma walked closer to her, unable to contain herself any longer, she jumped onto the court, ran and flung herself into his arms.

Ryoma was startled as Ann wrapped her arms around his waist, he was never interested in woman but felt himself melting, and found himself slowly embracing Ann back,

his hand caressing her back. "Its okay, I'm alright, all thanks to you…" Ryoma whispered gently into her ear. Ann gasped and coiled back slightly to look into his big, beautiful hazel eyes,

"How did I…" she started but Ryoma placed a finger on her lip and replied, "You reminded me of the happiness and fun involved in playing tennis." Ann's eyes widened,

"Ryoma-kun…."she whispered. "Thank you so much…" Ryoma said softly and leaned forward, brushing his soft lips on her forehead. Ann felt her cheeks becoming pink,

Ryoma also was shocked beyond comprehension, "Am I out of my mind? What am I doing, her brother will kill me?" he thought to himself.

But luckily, Kippei was too busy talking to his friend, Shitenhoji's Senri to notice, Ryoma was relieved, and he slowly pulled himself from Ann, much to her dismay.

"Interesting, very interesting…" Inui began to jolt down rapid notes again.

Ryoma began to walk back to his Seigaku teammates when he saw that Ann looked disappointed so he took her hand and squeezed gently,

"How about we pick this conversation up later?" Ryoma asked, Ann's face lit up, "You promise?", Ryoma smiled, "I promise….Ann", "Okay, it's a date then."

Ann said smiling, "Ryoma finally called me by my name" she thought.

Ryoma watched her go climb back up to the stands and left with her brother, waving as she left the stadium.

Ryoma waved back until she left, and turned around to face his teammates who were all staring at him mischievously,

"WHAT?" Ryoma shouted, his cheeks burning. "Okay, line up" Tezuka said sternly and the whole team immediately did as he said.

They were given their gold medals and they watched as Tezuka received a blood red colored flag that indicated the status of national champion of the year.

Tezuka took the flag and the whole Seigaku team smiled as photographers took photos of them. "Ann…" Ryoma thought, he never thought that it would be possible but he missed her already.


End file.
